Contact

Solid craftsmanship, wonderful story. Robert Zemeckis' now classic intellectual sci-fi film about whether we are alone in the universe features an excellent Jodie Foster, ably seconded by a young Matthew McConaughey. The gradual narrative doesn't forget the broad scale, showing humanity in all its gullible and skeptical scope. On reflection, the three-body problem is a dark answer to the questions raised in Contact. It fits together beautifully for me now. (2024-01-25)

Robert Zemeckis' underrated exploration of space, politics, and most importantly, interpersonal relationships, is something I appreciate more and more each day. From a pleasant and fulfilling experience, it escalated into a film that projects itself into various life situations, dangerously frequently. In my eyes, this is the role of Jodie Foster's life and probably the centerpiece of Zemeckis' journey towards spiritual rebirth (initiated by Jenny in Forrest Gump and concluded with Chuck in Cast Away). That journey was terribly long and yet completely simple. (2008-06-03)

With the adaptation of Sagan's novel, Zemeckis took a bite that I think he's still chewing on now. Contact has such huge thematic sweep that it can't be carried on its shoulders by the big-budget American film model, however much credit it deserves for at least trying. Its attempt to reconcile esoterica and science doesn't completely fall apart in the end (thanks in part to the perfect Foster), however much it fights its way to it through terrible story constructs, but given that the scientific aspect of the film so far has been portrayed by a team of hardy professionals and the religious aspect by the important-looking figurehead McConaughey in the background, the film obviously doesn't quite manage to be so impartial by its very nature. The resulting compromise of "truth is what you yourself believe to be true" rings true in these post-factual times. If you're one of those types who digs into the logic of the scenes in science fiction, and you get queasy at the thought of a religious zealot strapped with explosives getting through all the security to the center of a gazillion-dollar mechanism years in the making, or that no one in the world notices that the same structure has been getting built in Japan this whole time, then tread lightly here. Still, I wonder how incredibly hideous an alien organism must look that has learned that after dragging a human through three wormhole transitions, it had better modify its form into that of the DEAD FATHER OF THE PROTAGONIST to better handle the whole situation. Lol. (2008-06-01)

The director takes care and every shot is thought out to the smallest detail. And when you have have acting aces like Jodie Foster, William Fichtner and James Woods, then success is already guaranteed halfway. Robert Zemeckis is a perfect fit for the project with his filmmaking style, as he didn't turn it into a grandiose sci-fi full of space monsters and tons of visual effects, but rather into a clever and intelligent caper, posing a lot of questions and not giving clear answers. The sweet line about the father fits beautifully, and Jodie Foster delivers a captivating performance. Films about extraterrestrial intelligence can be shot in an interesting and engaging way even without direct physical contact with it. And even though I don't like Zemeckis because of his excessive political correctness and academic bootlicking, this film is awesome. (2007-07-03)

Sci-fi you can believe. Zemeckis's insistent focus on the female protagonist, with whom we are repeatedly taken back to her childhood, can feel tedious and lengthy at first, but in the end it’s the psychological portrait of an alienated woman fulfilling her life's dreams that dominates the narrative and sets up a solid emotional foundation for the final intradimensional build-up. It's hard to judge, but the political/social hysteria about making contact with outer space is portrayed very authentically and smartly, and although the pacing would lose a race to Professor Xavier at times, the ending is so effective, appealing, and visually charming that it successfully clips all of the flaws into a convincing and meaningful system; there aren't many sci-fi films like this. (2017-03-07)